Chapter 46 - Dates and Bait
published: Wednesday, 4 November 2020

happy election night everyone!

—*—

"One scoop of blueberry and one of mango, please," Annabeth said, handing over a wad of cash to the cashier. His eyes flickered between Percy and her, and the corner of his mouth quirked up.

It always made Annabeth laugh when people thought they were a cute couple.

When they got their ice cream, Percy directed them to one of the tables outside. Annabeth had only been in this ice cream shop for five minutes and she was already in love with the place.

There was a recurring pastel theme throughout the shop, and of course, Percy chose the pastel blue chairs and table outside the shop for them to sit in.

"Dork," she told him meaningfully as she sat down in the chair and placed his blueberry ice cream on his side of the table.

Percy stared at the ice cream. "You remembered my order."

Annabeth dug into her ice cream. "Of course, I did. You're my boyfriend."

"We haven't been out for ice cream since that first time in the park," Percy pointed out. He tried for a knowing look. "I knew you were hopelessly in love with me since the start."

Annabeth snorted. "Sure." As she returned to her ice cream, she was peripherally aware of Percy still gazing curiously at her.

"Okay, that's going to get annoying quickly," Annabeth said. "You want to say something. Say it."

"Don't blame me for being a bit anxious," Percy protested. "We're supposed to be baiting a mob boss. How are you relaxed right now?"

"The amount of stress I experienced during the college application process?" Annabeth reminded him. "Nothing will ever top that. Someone could mug be in the street and I'd smile at them."

They'd been out a lot on James and Sabrina's instruction. Sometimes Percy went alone, sometimes Annabeth went alone, but on times like today, they got to be together in a high-pressure situation on a tip-off that Mortelli was supposed to be in Queens. Fun.

"Might as well take this time to talk," Percy suggested.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"We've barely seen each other," Percy insisted. "School's been busy, and sending in our college decision. I mean, you're gonna have to pack for Yale soon—"

"Mhm," Annabeth interrupted, staring down at her ice cream. It was melting now, in the heat of late May, and she set her spoon down.

"Something's bothering you," Percy said sternly. "Are we going to ignore it or talk about it?"

"Well, clearly you won't let me ignore it," she grumbled.

Percy's nose scrunched up. "Is this about what Sloan said the other day? About us," Percy blushed. "You know. Not having had sex yet."

"You blush like you're a nun," Annabeth informed him. Actually, that hadn't been what she'd been thinking about, but...it was one of the issues she'd been dwelling on lately.

Matt Sloan had always been a dick, but over the last few weeks, he'd been even more of a dick than normal. Probably because he hadn't been accepted into any colleges.

Served him right, in Annabeth's opinion. He'd spent his entire high school life bullying anyone he thought inferior. Karma, really.

Whatever it was, Matt had been giving them a hard time whenever their paths crossed. Teasing Annabeth about being a prude, taunting Percy about their relationship not being serious enough.

Even Annabeth, who was usually level-headed, was minutes away from exploding like a time bomb.

"It bothers me that he talks about it," Annabeth said. "I mean, self-explanatory as to why."

"Yeah, but," Percy paused. "Does it bother you for...I don't know," he hesitated. "See, we haven't really talked about this since we first started dating."

Annabeth gaped at him for a few seconds, which hopefully relayed, no way. It had been an entire school year since they first started dating.

"I just wanted to see where you are with that?" Percy trailed off, groaning. "I'm sorry, this is such an awkward topic—"

Annabeth laughed. "No, no, it's fine." She shrugged, feeling herself start to blush. "Actually, I mean, it wouldn't be the worst thing if..." She cut herself off, "Oh God, why is this so weird?"

"It would probably help if we weren't having this conversation in public," Percy said helpfully. "Actually, I'm pretty sure the old lady who just walked past heard us."

Annabeth buried her face in her hands with a moan. "Urgh, I hate you."

"No, you don't."

She squinted at him. "Debatable."

They sat there for another fifteen minutes, and when nothing happened, Percy insisted they leave and go past the hotdog stand they passed on the way here.

"We've got no duties now, we're done," he insisted. "Please."

Annabeth glared at him. "It's the puppy eyes. Stop it." He dragged her in the direction of the place anyway.

"Percy," she said suddenly, pulling him to a stop.

"Hm?" He turned around, and the thing about Percy was that, even though he had ADHD and often drifted in and out of his train of thought, when he gave her his full attention, it was his full attention.

It was green eyes and patient, expectant waiting.

"What we were talking about earlier?" Annabeth said slowly. "I, um, I would be up for it."

Percy opened his mouth, then closed it.

"That's how you tell me you're ready for a major milestone?" Percy said incredulously. "'I'd be up for that'," he quoted in a horrible imitation of her voice.

"You might want to be careful," Annabeth warned. "I am not beyond withholding sex."

Percy grinned, elbowing her playfully in the side. "Look at us. Acting like adults."

"That's what you define as acting like adults—"

A heavy force slammed into Annabeth's back, sending her crumpling to the ground like a piece of paper. She caught her fall on her elbows, wincing at the bolt of pain that shot through her arms.

When she regained her vision and looked up, Annabeth saw the man who'd barrelled into her punch Percy in the jaw.

Reaching into her coat pocket, Annabeth frantically pressed the beeper James had given her. Well, apparently their plan had worked a little too well.

There was a screeching of tires — for a moment Annabeth was astonished by how quickly the detectives had gotten here, but she then realised, oh no — and a dark car with blacked-out windows recklessly swerved into the small, empty road beside them.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, racing towards him. She shoved the man in the chest and dragged Percy away, but she knew there wasn't any point.

The sound of an engine gunning up drew her attention back; police vehicles were barricading the road. She could see Sabrina on a motorcycle behind Mortelli's car, and James sitting behind her.

"Hands up, NYPD!" one of the officers shouted, holding a gun up.

"Percy," Annabeth demanded, shaking her boyfriend. "Percy, come on." There was a bruise blossoming on his jaw, and he looked disorientated enough to indicate a concussion. "Percy—"

Before she could yank him down and out of the commotion, he was wrenched back by the man, the initial perpetrator, who gave her a toothy grin before dragging Percy off.

The only logical part of Annabeth's brain forced her to the ground as the first shot went off. Her hand slipped from Percy's as he was dragged away, and even though it had probably just saved her life, Annabeth cursed that part of her brain.

The gun's kickback volume deafened Annabeth and set off a chain reaction as a full-out gunfight began in the street.

"Annabeth!" It was Nadia, one of the detectives, geared up from head to toe in a bulletproof vest and more. "This way!" She handed her a Kevlar vest that Annabeth impatiently shrugged on as they ran towards the fight.

Before Annabeth could step towards Percy, Nadia tugged on her arm in alarm.

"You can't," Nadia shouted over the commotion. "Too dangerous."

"I can't just leave him!" Annabeth almost screamed. She had almost lost Percy far too many times.

She swivelled back in horror to see the car door slam with Percy inside it. The wheels turned, tires screeching horribly, and then it was off barrelling between the two police cars ahead and zipping down the avenue.

"Shit," James cursed, running up to her. "Annabeth, you have to get in the car and go back—"

"Like hell I will," Annabeth snarled. "Percy's in that car. Look, there's an alleyway you can—"

"It's too dangerous for a civilian out here, James," Nadia insisted.

"I used to live in the city!" Annabeth begged. "Please, just — I know this area. There's a road—"

"No time," James interrupted. He gave her a grim look. "How sure about this are you?"

"One hundred percent," Annabeth said firmly.

James swallowed. "Okay. Get in the car."

There were still shouts from officer to officer as Annabeth climbed into the car, heart hammering against her ribcage. There were FBI agents here — she could see the label on their jackets — and members of a SWAT team too.

James slid into the driver's seat and punched the gas, and they shot off down the road.

"Right, left, left," Annabeth ordered, and to her surprise, he actually listened. To a 17 year-old girl.

In her mind, she could almost visualise the exact map of the area.

She'd grown up in Queens when her father and her mother — her birth mother — were still together. It had been a short four years. All Annabeth remembered of it was shouting and yelling and an endless stream of arguments, but for some reason, the area was imprinted indelibly in her brain. There was a candy shop down the road run by Mr Petrakos, and then there was the library two streets down.

Annabeth knew the web of roads like the back of her hand. Mortelli didn't. He'd take the main road, but she knew the back alleys they could use to cut him off.

"Work," she murmured under her breath as they came up onto one of the bigger roads. "They should be coming out right here—"

James skidded onto the road, desperately turning the wheel as they spun around — and then sure enough, Mortelli's car came racing up to them.

Whoever the driver was, he didn't hit the brakes soon enough, and Annabeth realised a second too late. "Swerve," she cried, and James tried, but the other car slammed into them from behind in a messy collision and a deafening crunch.